11 November 2016

Abandoned cargo ship grounded on Montreal's South Shore to be dismantled, at last

Kathryn Spirit has been grounded on
Montreal's South Shore since 2011

The Kathryn Spirit, a cargo
ship sitting abandoned in Lac Saint-Louis on Montreal's South Shore, is listing
heavily to one side. (Radio-Canada)

The
federal government has laid out its plans to eventually dismantle Kathryn
Spirit, a cargo ship abandoned on Montreal's South Shore since 2011.

Transport
Minister Marc Garneau said Thursday a local construction company will begin
work in December to build a protective embankment around the ship in order to
prevent a spill and isolate it from the marine environment.

Plans
and funding for the next phases, including dismantlement and removal of the
vessel, are currently being finalized. Work is expected to begin in spring
2017, Garneau said in a statement.

"The
government of Canada recognizes the risks that abandoned, derelict and wrecked
vessels pose to safe navigation, the marine environment, public health and
local economies," he said.

Concerns of contamination

A
drop in water levels in Lac Saint-Louis over the summer led to increased
concerns about the Kathryn Spirit's stability.

The
vessel is listing heavily to one side and is at risk of leaking millions of
litres of contaminated water if it keels over.

Calls
to remove rusting ship from Lac Saint-Louis grow louder

The
deputy commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, Julie Gascon, said the
dismantling will take place on site because the ship's condition rules out
transporting it elsewhere.

"The situation with the vessel is
stable, however, building the embankment is a priority in order to isolate
completely the vessel from the environment,'' Gascon said.

Beauharnois
Mayor Claude Haineault is seen standing on the shores of Lac St-Louis last
winter. He has long pressed for the ship's removal from the area. (Paul
Chiasson/Canadian Press

Beauharnois
Mayor Claude Haineault called on Ottawa to take urgent action last July, saying
Lac Saint-Louis risks being contaminated if there is a spill.

Original plan to scrap ship scrapped

Ironically,
the government has awarded the contract to build the embankment to Groupe
St-Pierre – the demolition company that towed the ship to Beauharnois in the
first place, hoping to dismantle it and sell it for scrap.

That
plan encountered stiff opposition from local activists and environmentalists
and never materialized.

The
ship was then sold to a Mexican recycling company, which later went bankrupt.

Garneau
defended the decision to award the contract to Groupe St-Pierre, explaining
that the company is located near the ship and is able to begin construction
immediately.

Once
the first phase is done, Ottawa will put out a tender for the ship's
dismantling, probably next spring.

100s of abandoned ships

Garneau
said a five-year, $1.5-billion ocean protection plan announced last Monday
would help address the larger problem of what to do about hundreds of abandoned
vessels across the country.

While
the exact numbers aren't available, Garneau said estimates suggest there are
between 600 and 700 abandoned vessels on Canada's three coasts.